Visible-liquid-dispensing apparatus



June 26, E928.

L. E. BAKER VISIBLE LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1924 3Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOI. Ma

ATR/VEYS.

June 2%, 11928.,

L. E. BAKER VISIBLE LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS ATTORNEYS.

s Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIII Filed April 25, 1924 L. BAKER VISIBLELIQUID DIPENSING APPARATUS June 26, 5192.

I 5 Sheets-Sheet I 5 Filed April 25, 1924 INVE 'I VTOR.

ATT NEYS.

Patented June 2 6, 1 928.

v nmnanus n. BAKER, or roR'r'wAY'nE, IN v roam WAYNE, INDIANA, A

DIANA, AssIGNon TO WAYNE ooMrANY, on CORPQRATION or nmn m.

VISIBLE-LIQUID-DISPENSING AIEJPARATUS.

k Application filed April 25 My invention/relates to liquid dispensingapparatus of the so-calledvisible type, such as is commonly used indispensing gasolene.

. flhe, principal object of my invention 1s ate, make it impossible 'forthe operator to soinanipulate the apparatus as to cause it to deliver tothe customer a lessfquantity "of gasolene than that indicated 'This isaccomplished, not only by. exhibiting l to the customer the quantity ofgasolene. he

is to receive-but also. by exhibitingto him .a

.flow indicator, so that he'wilLknOW what becomes-of the gasolene whenhe seesitids.

escaping from the visible container. Sd'long .15 as the Serve car'signis shown he will know the gasolene can fiow 'on'ly into'the gasolenetank of his car; and so long as the I Drain-back sign is shown he willknow that the gasolene can flow only back into the 2 storage tank. Ifthe Fill-bowl sign is shown he will know, that the gasolene can flowonly 'into the visible container. When the flow indicator is set so as.to exhibit any of these signs the appropriate valve may '2 be opened,andso long. as the position of the How indicator is maintained the othervalves are so, guarded thatthey cannot be opened. L. I

' Some of the visible dispensing apparatuses now in use may be somanipulated as to simultaneously drain back gasolene from the visiblecontainer to the storage tank and deliver gasolene from thevisiblecontainer to the car tank, thus cheating the customer. Some maybe somanipulated as to simul, 'taneously be filling the serving thecustomer, thus cheating the oil station proprietor. Other types ofvisible dispensers, whether interloc 'ng orv not, may have their valvesmanipulated in rapid succession and the customer cheated without hisdetecting the fraud. 7

My invention has a flow indicator operating in conjunction with a valveinterlock-- ing mechanism so as to prominently display, to the customerthe efiect of the operators manipulation of the valves.

Another object of my invention is to prevent adishonest employee fromcheating his filling-station proprietor employer by'simul- "taneouslyfilling the visible container and {serving the customer from a visibledispensi ng=. .-.apparatus having a meter operated by the. fall ofliquid in the contginer and adaptas being sold...

visible container and ,1924. Serial noi'zosam.

ed to show the total quantityiof liquid dispensed. 7

This invention, therefore,',ensures fair treatment for both the pumpowner and his customers, and meets the requirements of the v UnitedStates Bureau of Standards and the Underwriters Laboratories.

vention selected for illustration Figure is an elevation of so much ofmyjimpr'oved visible gasolene dispensing apparatus as-shows thevalvescontrolling the flow of the. gasolene into and out of the visiblecontainer; and the portions of the column and visible containeradjacent. thereto;

Fig, 2 is a cross section on the line-"2-2 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 3 isa'vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

.Fig. 4, a detail, is a top plan view of the interlocking guard ring;

Fig. '5 is a section on Fig p Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View of myinvention as though the mechanism was arranged in a straight lineinstead of in ring form as shown in F ig'. 2, shortened by breaking withthe outwardly extending horizontal flange omitted; and

Fi 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6, shortened bybreaking and with ad'acent mechanism brpken away.

eferring now to the drawings, 1 is the column portion of the-dispensingapparatus, within which a. Jp2ump or other mechanism may be housed; is acap of suitable design for the column, and 4 is ,an annular apron uponwhich is mounted the so-called visible container or glass. The apron 4rests upon a container ifloor element 3 "which is suitably supported onthe column 1 by spool-shaped spacers 1 The cap 2-may, for convenience,"be made in three sections held together by screws 2". A metal screen 3is provided to protect the container 3.

Gasolene' is pumped to the container 3 through the pipe 5, controlled bythe valve 6 which has lever 7 When the container 3 has been pumped full,excess gasolene is drained bacto the storage tank through overflow pip8, which hasno valve and is always open. 3

When gasolene is to bedispensed from the container @to a customer, thevalve lever :the 4 line I 5-5 of In the particular embodiment of myinmize the fire hazard.

11 is lifted, opening the serve-valve 10 allowing the gasolene to flowthrough the serve-pipe 9 to the hose (not shown).

when the apparatus is shut dowiiat night, any gasolene left in thecontainer 3 must be drained back to the storage tank to unini- Toaccomplis the lever 14 of. the drain-back valve 13 is raised, openingthe drain-back pipe 12 and allowing the gasolene to drain through theoverflow pipe 8 back to the storage'tank.

The fill valve lever 7 may be connected to any suitable valve or switchso as to simultaneously turn on power, forcing gasolene from storage tothe container 3 through the.

fill-pipe 5 and till-valve 6 when said iil-levalve is opened.

When the power used is compressed air the connections may be as shown inF1g.,7,

in which an air-valve 15, with suitable pipe connections, has its lever16 connected by link 17 to an arm 18 on the fill-valvedever- 7 so thatwhen the operator desires to fill the container 3' and lifts thefill-valve lever 7 the air-valve 15 is simultaneously opened; By simplyclosing the fill-valve the air? valve is simultaneously closed so thatthe h v v I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the -United 'States:'

container. may be filled to any desired level.

A guard-ring 19 is seated on the cap 2 under the apron 4 and may bepartially rotated by means of the shift knob 20. In the apron 4 is cut awindow l 'through which a sign may be read. There may be as many ofthese windows 4 as are required to suitably advise purchasers of valvemanipulations-.-- Mounted upon the exterior wall of the upwardlyextending rib 21 of the guardring 19 is a flow indicator plate 22 withsigns adapted tobeexposed to the'view of eustomersthrough,the window.Only one of these signs can'be seen at a time. Any suitable wording maybe used on these signs,

the ones shown being Fill bowl to indicate that the fill-valve is openand the container 3 being filled with gasolene; Serve car to indicatethat the serve-valve is open and gasolene flowing from the container 3into the customers car; and Drain back to indicate that the drain-backvalve is open and gasolene is flowing from the container 3 back into thestorage tank. There Will be a flow indicator plate for each window.

Detents 23, 24C, 25, on the guard ring 19 are adapted to receive aspring pressed ball 26 to yieldingly hold. the guard-ring in any of thesetting positions. The guard-ring 19.

has three keeper-notches 27, 28 and 29; 27 being adapted to receive theguard 7 on'the fill-valve lever 7; 28 being adapted to receive the guard11 on the serve-valve lever 11; and 29 being adapted to receive theguard 14* on the drain-back lever 14.

lVhen the guard 14 of the drain-back lever 14 is in its keeper-notch 29,thedrainback pipe 12 is open so that gaso'lene will this Lev anticimpossible toopen'eitlier the serve-valve .10 or till-valve 6- until thelockis unlocked.

, The guard-ring Is then locked against rotation, mak ng 1t When theguard-ringis in posltion so that any one of the' valves may jbeopenedthe 1 appropriate sign isexhibited in the window 45 and: no other valvecan beopened .until the ring is shifted and the appropriate sign forthat other valve -'is displayed in said,

window.

Many changes may be made in this din-- provement from thatherein shownand domore than-one and these valves may be Va scribed withoutdeparting,frOm the spirit 1 riously 'groupedn-equirin'g shapes of guardelement other: than curvilinear. Without attempting to enumerate anysubstantial number of changes that might ;be...made .I.

claim as covered herewith any apparatus ereon container .from

readablecuponthe claims ultimately allowed uid from said container to'the customers container, and a valve "controlling the flow of liquidfrom said container back to the storage tank; means for indicating whichflowof liquid is to be established, and means for preventing theestablishment of any other flow than the one indicated so long as thatindication is-maintained.

2., In combination with a liquid dispensing apparatus having an elevatedcontainer from which liquid is to be dispensed, a valve controlling theflow of liquid'into said container, a valve controlling the flow ofliquid from said container to the. customers container, and a valvecontrolling the flow of liquid from said container back to the storagetank; an adjustable flow indicator with a sign for each of said flowconditions, a window through which any one, but one only, of said signsmay be seen upon adjustment ofi the flow indicator to any operatingposition, means for preventing the opening of any of said valves exceptthat one which is in position when opened to permit the flow indicatedby the designated sign through said window; andvmeans for permitting theopening of the one of said valves which is in position when opened topermit the flow indicated by said sign.

3. In combination with a liquid dispensing apparatus having an elevatedcontainer from which liquid is to be-dispensed, a valve controlling theflow of liquid into said container, a valve controlling the flow ofliquid from said container to the customers container, and a valvecontrolling the; flow of liquid from said container back to the storagetank; an adjustable guard element for said valves, a flow indicator onsaid guard element with a sign for each of said flow conditions, awindow through which any one, but one only, of said signs may be seenupon adjustment of the flow indicator to any operating position, a guardfixed to each valve, a keeper-notch in said guard element for each ofsaid guards on said Valves, said combined guarding means being soarranged that only that valve can be opened which will produce the flowindicated by said ex posed sign.

4. In combination with a liquid dispensing apparatus having an elevatedcontainer from which liquid is to be dispensed, a valve controlling theflow of liquid into said container, a valve controlling the fiow ofliquid from said container to the customers container, and a valvecontrolling the flow of liquid from said container back tothe anadjustable guard element a flow indicator on said guard element with asign for each of said conditions, means for designating which one ofsaid signs is controlling upon adjustment of the flow indicator, a guardfixed to each valve, a keeper-notch in said guard element for eachofsaid. guards on said valves, said combined guarding means being soarranged that only that valve can be opened which will produce the flowindicated by said designated sign.

5. In combination with a liquid dispensing apparatus having a containerfrom which liquid is dispensed, means for controlling the flow of liquidinto said container,

storage tank; for said valves,

element with a sign means for controlling'the flow of, liquid from saidcontainer to the customers container, means for controlling the flow ofliqaid from saidcontainer back to storage, an

and its coacting part of saidguard element,

said combined guarding means being so arranged that only that flowcontrolling means can be opened which will produce the flo' indicatedbysaid designated sign. I

6. in combination with a-liqui'd dispensing apparatus having a containerfrom which liquid is dispensed, a conduit through which liquid issupplied to said container, a conduit through which liquid flows fromsaid container-to the, customers car, a .con

duit through which liquiddrains from said container back to storage,ajvalve in each of said conduits controlling the flow of liquidtherethrough, a fixed overflow pipe through which excess liquid suppliedto said container automatically drains, an adjustable guard element forsaid valves, a flow indicator on said guard element with a sign for eachof said flow conditions, means for determining which one of said signsis controlling upon adjustment of the flow indicator, a guard fixed anda co-acting keeper notch in the adjustable guard element for. receivingeach of said guards, said combined guarding means being so arranged thatonly that valve can be opened which will produce thefiow indicated bysaid designated sign.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LINNAEUS E. BAKER.

to each of said valves

